Korean National Cuisine

Korean National Cuisine

The main feature of Korean cuisine is that it is extremely spicy. Almost any Korean meal will be or just a spicy or very spicy, but you are going to get used to it and eventually cannot imagine your meal without these spicy side dishes. The most interesting thing is that red pepper was in Korean cuisine only in the XVII century, but now it is very difficult to find any traditional Korean meal without this ingredient, which can be added to many dishes just in unimaginable quantities.

As in most Asian countries, the basis of the diet in Korea is rice. It is served to almost any dish. In fact, it goes as a bread – rich product that does not block the taste of the main dish.

In Korean cuisine you see a lot of vegetables, as radish, cabbage, beans, ginger and so on. The most special is kimchi, pickled cabbage. You can even find special refrigerators dedicated only for kimchi.

Koreans usually prefer meat to fish, despite of proximity to the sea. However, seafood and fish is also served as a meal. It is almost impossible to find cheese, besides tofu, but you can find cheese in supermarkets with crazy price tag compared to European ones.

Also, Koreans really like soups, you can find it on the table almost always. More often it is vegetable soup with meat or fish bouillon.

The consequence of all of it is low calories, almost absent from fats. Also, it is hard to find sweet dishes among traditional Korean cuisine. And, high calorie food is probably really spicy, so it is hard to eat it. So, you almost cannot find obese people. For European point of view people here are skinny, to skinny. It might be result of Korean beauty and fashion standards, but we cannot deny effect of Korean food.

Disclaimer: This article was submitted by Mr. Sanzhar Kerimbek for Write for KISA programme. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of KAIST International Students Association (KISA). For more details visit the Write for KISA page.